Luria Library

In the last few weeks of the spring 2009 semester, the library hosted a charity opportunity as part of the Knit-A-Square program. This program was designed to encourage knitters and crocheters around the world to take a little extra time to make a 8 inch by 8 inch square and mail it to South Africa. The squares would be assembled there, by a local charity called the Soweto Comfort Club, to provide comfort and warmth to some of the many AIDS orphans. This charity has taken off in ways the planners hadn’t anticipated and has gained world wide attention. Their goal for 2009 is to create 10,000 blankets (40 squares make one blanket).
The library staff considered this an appealing, comforting community project, especially as spring semester finals drew near and budget concerns loomed, making folks anxious. After announcing the charity, we mounted a display wall so that we could show library visitors how the blanket was developing, as the squares came in, and this drew a lot of interest and conversation. What followed next went beyond our fondest expectations; in just a few weeks, staff, faculty and students brought to us one at a time, or a few at a time, or bags at a time, ultimately One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Squares. One staff member learned to knit, in order to contribute. Several staff member’s elderly parents contributed to the project. Students asked us to continue the project in the future.

Thanks to all who participated!
photo credit: Valerie Campos

Welcome back to campus, students and faculty!

The library is open for summer session:

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am to 7:30 pm
and
Friday 8:00 am to 1:30 pm

The Buzz Shack inside the library will be open every morning.

Hope to see you soon.

Image by Today is a good day via Flickr

Happy summer to you. The library will continue to be open to students, faculty, and staff throughout the summer months but at a reduced schedule. The initial schedule is as follows:

May 26 - June 12
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Monday - Thursday

The main floor of the library is open for administrative tasks, studying, and computer access only.

The Summer Term hours will be posted in mid-June.

The library will continue to offer extended hours in preparation for finals. Here are the additional hours for the spring 2009 semester:

Friday, May 15 Open 7:30am - 7:00pm

Saturday, May 16
Open 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sunday, May 17
Open 10:00am - 10:00pm

This brings an additional 13.5 hours to students. Regular hours are posted here.

When a Parent is in Prison is a documentary project of Mennonite Central Committee's Office on Justice & Peacebuilding and Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. The photo exhibit provides a glimpse into the lives of the two million, four hundred thousand children who have a parent in prison. As Nell Bernstein, author of "All Alone in the World" has stated "These children have committed no crime, but the price they are forced to pay is steep. They forfeit too much of what matters to them: their homes, their safety, their public status and private self-image, their primary source of comfort and affection. Their lives are profoundly affected."

This photo documentary will be in the Luria Library for ONE WEEK ONLY. Come by and see these powerful images.

Leading the initiative are Howard Zehr, Professor of Restorative Justice at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, director of Mennonite Central Committee's office on crime and justice.